The aim of this project is to ensure that Head and Neck Cancer (HNC) survivors can adequately manage the post-treatment effects of radiotherapy on their physical and mental health. Advances in early cancer detection and radiotherapy mean that a diagnosis of HNC is no longer a death sentence. However, radiotherapy leaves scars on the treated tissues and can cause inflammation, resulting in stiffness of the mouth, neck and upper limbs that impact on survivors’ quality of life.
To re-educate the treated areas, physiotherapists and speech therapists prescribe exercises such as opening and closing the mouth against resistance. Psychologists can recommend self-management strategies to survivors, such as relaxation for anxiety. These approaches only work if they are carried out correctly and regularly. Yet there aren’t enough clinicians to ensure that every survivor performs the level of exercise and self-management strategies necessary for optimal recovery. Such deficiencies can result in permanent disabilities (e.g., mouth becomes stiff, and it can no longer open).
With limited healthcare resources, how can we better support survivors’ recovery? One approach is to offer the right support, at the right time, to the right survivor. Thus, one solution would be to direct the few clinical resources available to the 15% to 20% of survivors most in need of attention, while ensuring that the others receive first-rate help, but by another method (e.g., online program, follow-up by non-healthcare professionals).

Ultimately, our goal is to ensure that survivors receive the follow-up care they need, when they need it, for their successful recovery from arduous and debilitating HNC treatment.